In the known prior art, many platform scales are known, but these tend to have a relatively high profile to them, due to the weighing mechanism deployed therein. As a result, either the weighing level is positioned above the surrounding floor, or, in the alternative, a depression has to be provided in the floor to permit a flat entrance onto the platform.
Torsional sensing load cells are known in the prior art, and several patents, including commonly-owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,714,695, 5,872,319, 5,925,832, 6,293,585, 6,499,360 and 6,672,176 are based upon this concept.
It is an unmet object of the prior art to provide a platform scale that has a sufficiently low profile to allow it to be placed on a surface and still provide a weighing surface that is within an inch or less of the surface on which it is placed. It is a further unmet object to provide a load cell that can be arranged with a platform to provide the desired low profile.